A Cadiz man released his first book earlier this year, a book about the “small forces” that influence children’s lives and personalities and how they interact with others.

Mike Conver, a central Illinois native who moved a few years ago to Cadiz, released the book, appropriately titled “Small Forces,” in January. He compared these small forces to the pawn on the chessboard – a seemingly insignificant piece that can become a queen in a surprisingly small number of moves.

“It’s a great game. I like teaching it to children, because the kids who are less athletically-inclined have every bit of ability to win at that game as the big bruisers,” Conver said. “

In the book, a teacher in the book wants to get close to a couple of students who are brothers. A conflict in the book arises when one of the brothers, special needs student – a bright 12-year-old boy who possibly has dyslexia and doesn’t read well – becomes involved with the school’s chess club.

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